The Blood Cries Out, Karl Erickson's mystery-suspense novel, is now available as a paperback from Light Switch Press. Neil Low, Seattle Police Captain and bestselling mystery author, wrote the foreword.

Seattle Police Homicide Detective David Lightholler finds himself on a case unlike any he's faced before. In the midst of working the darkest double homicide of his career, he unearths violent secrets of his family's past that promise to haunt him for many years unless he can bring redemption and meaning out of the evil of the past--and present.

While the tale is set between Seattle and Friday Harbor, it also incorporates some important Oregon frontier history. For regular updates, "like" the book's page on Facebook!

The Blood Cries Out Trailer

Photo Tour / Behind the Scenes

I invite you to take a moment and go behind the scenes of my novel. These are some of my favorite personal photographs. They include Seattle, Friday Harbor (and the rest of San Juan Island), as well artwork, and a mystery photograph. The mystery shot is the last photo in the slideshow. Can you identify the place and venture a guess as to its connection to the story? (Hint: you'll find the answer in the sixth chapter.) Good luck!

For more on the critical importance of a sense of place in my fiction, read this new blog post. Be sure to listen to the author reading mentioned in the post!

A Seattle Fire Department Medic Unit was just turning onto Parkmont Place, siren blasting and red emergency lights flashing, as David carefully placed Elizabeth down on the front lawn. She sat expressionless on the grass. Officer Tania Lyons ran up to assist. She took Elizabeth’s hand, trying to calm her. David backed away a little, watching Tania seamlessly go from crime scene work to victim advocate.

The motor pool was situated on the east side of the Seattle Police Department’s new downtown headquarters at 5th and Cherry. Approaching the attendant’s shack , David recognized Jake Slaughter’s heavyset figure behind the messy desk. Jake, paying no attention to the approaching detective, was staring intently at his magazine and muttering to himself between coughing fits.

Opening the door to the Homicide Unit’s primary interrogation room, a bare fluorescent-lit space, David was immediately struck by Isaac Davenport’s muscular build. He would have been a natural quarterback--and he smelled like one, too.

...The Blood Cries Out is a mystery novel dripping in Pacific Northwest details. Readers with fond feelings for Seattle and other Northwestern locales will appreciate every touch of scenery lovingly added in Erickson’s debut mystery novel. Readers looking for a detective novel with a human touch will also enjoy The Blood Cries Out.

It wasn't hard to feel as if I walked right along in Detective Lightholler's shoes as he methodically pursued the mystery of who did it. The Author's ability to develop personalities and quirks of characters is very well done. The Detective is married to a nurse and between them they go through emotional days unlike those in other professions. Each of them experiences traumas in their work as seen through victims. When they get home it is hard to reach out to each other since both need some emotional reinforcing, but they manage. "The Blood Cries Out" is a riveting novel that keeps the reader reading to the end. The ending is one that satisfies the reader, and leaves them wanting more from this author. I highly recommend this read.

I enjoyed this excellent novel. Well written and fast paced it is an excellent page turner. The author, Karl Bjorn Erickson, brings the city of Seattle to life with the written word. The murder scene, which of course is the lynchpin of the story, stands out for its realistic description. It makes you feel like you are there without being overly graphic. Although Erickson is not a police officer I learned from the afterward that he had pursued that field as a career. You can tell. As a former prosecutor, I can tell you that the novel reads as if the lead character, Detective Lightholler, were sitting in my office explaining to me how the investigation developed. You truly feel like you are on the inside. “The Blood Cries Out” in an outstanding read.

Fans of fast moving police drama’s set in Seattle will delight in Karl Bjorn Erickson's novel “The Blood Cries Out.” ...Married to Michelle, a nurse, they each encounter blood, death, and stress, and long hours apart. Working homicide hasn’t helped their growth. Unlike hard-drinking, flirtatious and self-destructive protagonists in other detective novels, Dave’s life stands on a firm foundation. He’ll take a drink, he notices beautiful women, and he is ready to use his service weapon but his faith perspective assists him as he travels through personal pain and confusion. He knows that there is more to life than crime and punishment. Yes, there are murders, bad guys and dangerous situations, but the lasting impact of Erickson’s novel is the believability of his characters, especially David Lightholler. I want to read more about Dave. I’d strongly recommend this enjoyable and uplifting, although sometimes grim and daunting murder mystery for anyone who is looking for a good read, written by an up-and-coming author with a fresh approach to police stories.

Don Mulcare (5-Star Amazon Review)

Over the years I have read a great many mystery novels. "The Blood Cries Out" ...was easy to follow, fast paced and provided a fresh approach to the genre. I enjoyed the descriptions of Seattle and Friday Harbor. The development of the characters was very good too. It left me wanting to read more about David Lightholler, his wife and his partner. I hope that there will be a sequel coming soon!

Susann K.(4-Star Amazon Review)

These are the deeper issues that Seattle detective David Lightholler must contend with in "The Blood Cries Out". Not only is the brutal murder of a former girlfriend and her friend's child enough to haunt David, but the secrets about his family's history and their treatment of the Chinese during the early days of the Pacific Northwest's history, drives him to solve the crime and--more importantly--secure justice...

The thrilling thing about this novel is that we feel like we are in the patrol car as the officers go about their day.

Karl is giving us the moment-by-moment details of two police officers whose job we are experiencing. It is a very real and intimate window to their world.Barbara Sparks, Artist and illustrator

This well-written page-turner has a great sense of place. I can easily visualize Seattle, my hometown, and Friday Harbor, my current home, from the vivid descriptions. While there is a spiritual aspect to the story, the book is not at all "preachy". I'm looking forward to seeing how it ends.

Jan Steckler

I think it's the best you've written yet. I actually cared about the protagonist...

Phil Rand (Phil’s words were regarding an early draft of chapter 6 shared in September 2010. Phil Rand passed away from cancer in August of 2011 in Yakima, Washington.) He is greatly missed by his family.